Apparatus and method for pilot detection

1. An apparatus in a code division multiple access based system for detecting pilot sequences, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal;

a sampling circuit to sample the received signal;

a plurality of parallel correlators each having a given correlation length, wherein the sampled signal is input into the parallel correlators; and

a controller, wherein the controller:

controls the correlation the sampled signal in each correlator with a unique time shift section of a pilot sequence of the communication system,

determines the strongest correlation peaks,

determines on the basis of the correlation peaks and corresponding time shifts the strongest pilots in the signal,

determines in the correlators ratios of received pilot energy to total received energy,

compares a first and a second of the determined ratios, and

determine, on the basis of the comparison of the determined ratios, a correlation result including a timing from the time shift of the pilot sequence and the time reference of the communication system, wherein the apparatus is configured to feed the sampled signal to N parallel correlators having a correlation length of L, wherein the number of samples required equals A*B where A=32768/N+L and B=the chip rate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the correlation length L is a multiple of 512.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller performs correlation separately for I and Q-branches of the received signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an output of the sampling circuit is input to N parallel correlators having a correlation length of L, wherein the number of samples required equals A+B+C−D where A=32768/N, B=96, C=1024*H, and

D=1024, where H is number of half slots processed.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said plurality of parallel correlators skips a first 464 samples from the beginning of a half-slot, calculates correlation with the next 96 samples, skips the next 928 samples, calculates correlation with the next 96 samples, and repeats the procedure until a given number of half-slots are processed.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein sections of the pilot sequence used in the correlation process as PN Offsets PN j having a range of 0 to 15 where PN j will use the 96 taps in chips Y % 32,678 to Z % 32,678, where j=n+16*k, Y=464−n*64+32,678, Z=559−n*64+32,678, n is the PN Offset and k half-slot used, and % denotes modulo operation.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said controller further correlates sections of sampled signal in parallel utilizing the ratio of received pilot energy to total received energy or ratio of squared received pilot energy to squared total received energy for peak detection; and

combines detection results to obtain a continuous detection pattern.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the strongest correlation peaks determined by the controller equals a predetermined number of correlation peaks.

9. A method in a code division multiple access based system for detecting pilot sequences, comprising:

obtaining as an input a signal;

sampling the signal;

feeding the sampled signal to a plurality of parallel correlators each having a given correlation length;

controlling the correlation of the sampled signal in each correlator with a unique time shift section of the pilot sequence of the communication system;

determining the strongest correlation peaks;

determining on the basis of the correlation peaks and corresponding time shifts the strongest pilots in the signal,

determining in the correlators ratios of received pilot energy to total received energy;

comparing a first and a second of the determined ratios;

determining, on the basis of the comparison of the determined ratios, a correlation result including a timing from the time shift of the pilot sequence and the time reference of the communication system; and

feeding the sampled signal to N parallel correlators having a correlation length of L, wherein the number of samples required equals A*B where A=32768/N+L and B=the chip rate.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the correlation length L is a multiple of 512.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

controlling the correlator to perform correlation separately for I and Q-branches of the received signal.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

feeding the sampled signal to N parallel correlators having a correlation length of L, wherein the number of samples required equals A+B+C−D where A=32768/N, B=96. C=1024*H, and D=1024, where H is number of half slots processed.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: when performing correlation, skipping a first 464samples from the beginning of a half-slot, calculating correlation with the next 96 samples skipping the next 928samples, calculating correlation with the next 96 samples, and repeating the procedure until a given number of half-slots are processed.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: selecting the sections of the pilot sequence used in the correlation process as PN Offsets PN j having a range of0 to 15 where PN j will use the 96 taps in chips Y % 32,678 to Z %32,678 where j =n+16*k, Y =464−n*64+32,678. Z =559−n*64+32,678, n is the PN Offset and k half-slot used, and % denotes modulo operation.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: correlating sections of sampled signal in parallel utilizing the ratio of received pilot energy to total received energy or ratio of squared received pilot energy to squared total received energy for peak detection;

and combining detection result to obtain a continuous detection pattern.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of determining the strongest correlation peaks includes determining a predetermined number of strongest correlation peaks.

17. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when loaded into an apparatus, execute a computer process comprising:

obtaining as an input a signal;

sampling the signal;

feeding the sampled signal to a plurality of parallel correlators each having a given correlation length;

controlling the correlation the sampled signal in each correlator with a unique time shift section of the pilot sequence of the communication system;

determining the strongest correlation peaks;

determining on the basis of the correlation peaks and corresponding time shifts the strongest pilots in the signal,

determining in the correlators ratios of received pilot energy to total received energy;

comparing a first and a second of the determined ratios;

determining, on the basis of the comparison of the determined ratios, a correlation result including a timing from the time shift of the pilot sequence and the time reference of the communication system; and

feeding the sampled signal to N parallel correlators having a correlation length of L, wherein the number of samples required equals A*B where A=32768/N+L and B=the chip rate.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the step of determining the strongest correlation peaks includes determining a predetermined number of strongest correlation peaks.